Labyrinth of the Heart
by Knight Basilisk
Summary: *Sess/Kag* Kagome was left alone to be by herself ever since Inuyasha chose Kikyou. The voyage of the heart is a twisted and dangerous one. Will Kagome be able to find her true self, or will she be overcome by the labyrinth of the heart?
1. Chapter 1: Betrayal

A/N: Don't you just love the summary?? ::breaks down laughing:: Disclaimer: All Inuyasha characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi sempai. Please, enjoy the story. Any comments, flames or what nots are welcome. BRING IT ON!!! ^_______^  
  
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Labyrinth of the Heart  
  
Chapter 1: Betrayal  
  
She was 21 and she still visited the old well. It was in the middle of spring and she decided to file a leave of absence for a month from the overbearing work she had faced every day in her job.  
  
'I've defeated tons of monsters and I get stuck as a pencil-pusher...' No matter. She was about to spend 3 weeks with her closest friends and a certain half-demon.  
  
She lived in her own apartment among millions of other people. Tokyo was getting very crowded these days and she felt that going back to the Sengoku Jidai would chase away the feelings of being crammed once she saw the open fields of grass. But trying to break away from that feeling would be a problem. Who would ever want to leave the beautiful countryside for a busy, exhaust-ridden city? 'Not me,' Kagome thought.  
  
She locked her apartment door and cheerfully rode her bike towards the old shrine. Her mother stepped from inside the house and greeted her daughter with a warm hug. Kagome's grandfather had passed away two years before and Souta had traveled to another province of Japan leaving her mother to be alone with the shrine.  
  
"I'll be fine! You have a good time over there! Have fun, Kagome!"  
  
"Alright, mom, take care!" Kagome ran towards the well waving goodbye to her mother. As she came closer to the well, she felt as though she was still fifteen. If there was any water in that well, it would reflect back to Kagome her childish features that adorned her face. She slung the familiar pink bag over her shoulders and she jumped in.  
  
Kagome carefully placed her hands on the wooden frame to keep her fingers from getting any unwanted splinters and pulled herself up. "Sango! Miroku! Shippou! Hi guys!" She smiled brightly as she greeted her friends.  
  
"Kagome-chan!" Sango replied. "Here let me help you out."  
  
"Kagome-sama, it's nice to see you again!" Miroku took the other hand and helped Sango help Kagome out, as a gentleman, of course.  
  
"Hey," started Kagome as she noticed something, "where's Inuyasha?"  
  
"We don't know. We haven't seen him all day," replied Miroku.  
  
Shippou eyed the familiar pink bag that contained many treats for the young fox-demon. "He's been acting strange, lately and we thought it was best if we left him alone...yay!" the kitsune screamed. "Kagome brought cakes!" (referring to the Twinkies).  
  
"Yup! I brought them just for you! Let's go to Kaede-sama's hut and we'll all have some."  
  
The four of them walked quickly to the hut as the sun was dipping into the horizon.  
  
~^~  
  
A half-hour later, Kagome felt uneasy. "I wonder where Inuyasha ran off to? You guys, shouldn't we be searching for him?"  
  
Miroku crossed his arms behind his head and leaned backwards against the wall. "He'll be fine, Kagome. He's hot-headed enough to get into fights and come out the winner."  
  
"I'm still not reassured by that, Miroku. I'm going to find him."  
  
"Do you want me to go, too, Kagome-chan?" asked Sango.  
  
"No, it's okay, I can find him by myself. Thanks, anyway." Kagome smiled and walked out of the hut to search for the half-demon.  
  
"Don't forget these!" Sango yelled out. She ran up to Kagome and handed the bow and arrows over to Kagome.  
  
"Thanks, Sango."  
  
~^~  
  
Her first place to look was the tree that she found him pinned to six years ago. But she found it void of a certain hanyou. 'Where the heck are you, Inu-baka?' She smiled at her childishness to call him names. That reminded her of all the times they both fought with her being the victor, of course, when she yelled out 'sit.'  
  
She fingered the bow's string as it became darker and harder to see. 'At times like these, I wish I had cat vision.'  
  
Then, she heard it. The familiar sound of laughter from two different voices was lingering in the air. 'It can't be...' It sounded too familiar. One belonging to Inuyasha and the other belonging to...  
  
'Kikyou.' Her heart beat faster as she prayed desperately to be wrong. She parted a few branches and her fears were confirmed.  
  
Inuyasha was holding Kikyou tightly in his arms as the miko smiled happily.  
  
"And what about Kagome?" Kikyou suddenly asked.  
  
"Kagome?" Inuyasha said absentmindedly. "She doesn't mean a thing to me anymore. You're the one I've always wanted to be with." He buried his nose into her hair.  
  
"Inuyasha...," Kikyou's smile widened. "I love you."  
  
Inuyasha closed his eyes. "I...love you, too."  
  
Kagome's heart stopped. Her eyes grew wide at the scene in front of her. She didn't want to believe what just happened. Her hand flew up to her mouth. 'Run away, Kagome. RUN before they catch you!' She forced herself to turn around. She didn't care if they heard her. She just wanted to get away.  
  
She reached the river panting heavily. What happened back there was all too familiar for her. It was like reliving a nightmare. No, it was worse. That was reality she witnessed back there. She was a coward for running away. But she couldn't bear to hear any pathetic explanation from him-  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by an evil aura coming close to her. Her pain and sorrow clouded over her senses and she almost didn't realize the presence near her. She quickly grabbed her bow and an arrow.  
  
"I don't know who you are, but don't come any closer!" She grasped tightly at her bow and arrow trying to, at least, put on an imperturbable face to conceal the conflicting emotions inside of her. She had more than enough to think about to take on any more trouble.  
  
The figure only smiled and disappeared from her sight. She sighed only after a few minutes had passed to make sure that the feeling of someone there was gone. It was an unusual aura that sent shivers down her spine. Not long after that little episode, she broke down crying.  
  
'You two-timing...idiot! I hate you! How could you do this to me?' She cried openly, spilling her tears onto her casual clothes. As she cried, she felt a hole growing inside of her chest. It seemed like everything that she had loved was suddenly pouring out of her. 2 hours later, her tears subsided and she sat with her legs pulled up underneath her chin and rested her arms on top of them.  
  
'What am I thinking? Why should I feel so surprised that he would pull something like this? After all, he did make a promise to her that he would always be with her and even follow her to hell. But why did he show that he cared for me? Why did he play with my heart?! That's what's hurting me the most!' Her eyes were drooping so much that she fell asleep with her back resting against a rock as the babble of the river lulled her to sleep. She hoped that no demons would attack her tonight.  
  
'Earlier...that aura...felt so familiar...'  
  
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A/N: I apologize for so many clichés!! ::cough:: story title...::cough:: ...chapter title...::cough, cough::  
  
Well, a lot happening here. Sorry to throw this all on everyone w/o any explanations to back it up. But, that's what the second chapter is for! ...::sweatdrop::  
  
Hm, for a beginner, I'd say it sucks. Grammar's pretty off in some places.Don't know where, but I know it's off for some strange reason. ^^;;  
  
As for Inuyasha, it's not that I don't like him (come on! Who can resist those cute puppy-dog ears?? Altogether, now: "AWWW!") but since I'm having to wait for a looooooooooooong time for the next episode to come out, I wanted to do something w/Kagome and Sesshoumaru. And yes, Inuyasha is a perfect example of a male jerk.except he's hanyou...oh, whatever. You get what I mean. And I really, really, dislike Kikyou, so I turned her into a mean witch. Oh, and don't get me wrong. I hate Inu/Kikyou pairings and I love Inu/Kag pairings (soo KAWAII!!). But for the sake of Kagome and Sesshoumaru, ::sigh:: this'll do.  
  
Notice all the childish connotations?? I'm sure you did. ::cough, cough:: ^_~ Well, that's all for now.  
  
----------- Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. ~Albert Einstein -----------  
  
*AHAHAHHAHAA! I still get a kick out of that. So true, so true."  
  
Kodoku Kokoro 


	2. Chapter 2: Let the Journey Begin

A/N: GRR!!! The new format of ff.net... so...frustrating! @_@;; But anywhoo, here's the deal: read, review, and any comments or flames welcomed. Enjoying the story is optional only to your liking. BRING IT ON!!! ^_____^  
  
Disclamer: All of the wonderful characters of Inuyasha are the sole properties of Rumiko Takahashii sempai!  
  
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Labyrinth of the Heart  
  
Chapter 2: Let the Journey Begin  
  
She awoke as the sky was turning into a bright blue color. The sun poked its head out from the horizon and was slowly chasing the dark skies away. It felt nice to let all the pain out through tears. She felt energized. As she stood and faced the endless horizon of green grass, she knew that it was not only the dawning of a new day. It was also the beginning of a new perspective on life.  
  
She looked around when she felt the presence of six...maybe seven youkai surrounding her. "Sorry, boys," she began as she pulled out an arrow and steadied her bow, "this isn't going to be your day." She aimed for the nearest one. "It's...," she grunted when she pulled back on the string, "MY DAY!" The arrow cut through the air as it flew to its target. Her miko powers instantly purified the creature and sent it up in smoke. "So [twang] quit [twang] trying [twang] to [twang] ruin [twang] it!! [twang]"  
  
Although a proud moment of being able to take care of herself had passed, it didn't take long until the events of last night flooded her mind. 'Oh, God, why did it take this long for it to finally happen? Better yet, why did it happen?' she thought. Her eyes began to fill with fresh tears. She let gravity take over and bring her to her knees on the grass.  
  
'It's been six years ever since Naraku was defeated. We barely got out with our lives. Maybe...maybe I shouldn't have made that wish on the Shikon no Tama if I had known that I would regret it for the rest of my life...'  
  
~*~  
  
[Flashback]  
  
Kagome handled the completed Shikon no Tama carefully in her hands.  
  
Inuyasha stared with amazed eyes. "Are you sure, Kagome?"  
  
"Kagome-sama?"  
  
"Kagome-chan..."  
  
Kagome nodded her head. "I pray that Kikyou be turned into a living, breathing human-to have another chance at life."  
  
A brilliant pink light surrounded them all as the Shikon no Tama had granted Kagome's request and returned inside of her. The pain was brief as it dissolved itself inside her chest.  
  
[End Flashback]  
  
~*~  
  
'She promised that she would travel away from here...she promised that she would leave us alone.' She let a sob escape her throat. 'I guess a witch will always be a witch,' she thought spitefully. She hugged herself trying to feel comfort from the pain within her. Another pain gripped her insides. Her empty stomach.  
  
She sighed. 'That's what sorrow will do to you...' She decided to walk back to Kaede's hut but decided not to. They would start to ask her questions that would bring back last night's episode. She took a turn, carefully avoiding the dreaded spot of pain and ran when she was about 50 yards away from the well. She placed her hand on the wooden frame and jumped in.  
  
~^~  
  
Her boss was surprised that Kagome returned the following day. She was quieter than usual, which was not normal, at all. He looked at her idly sitting beside the pencil sharpener.  
  
"Come on, Higurashi, those pencils don't push themselves."  
  
"Yes, boss," she replied passively. One by one, she stuck each pencil inside the sharpener.  
  
He stood at his door for a moment. 'It'll pass. By lunchtime, she'll be her normal self.'  
  
Not quite. She was still as full of life as a China-doll. This wasn't right. What was he going to do? "Higurashi, would you step into my office for a moment?" Kagome's only reply was a glazed look on her face. "Higurashi, I've been monitoring you all day and it seems that your progress is less than sufficient. What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing, sir."  
  
"Higurashi, I'm afraid if you keep this act up, I'll have to let you go."  
  
"Sir...I...," Kagome started.  
  
"Yes? What is it?"  
  
"May I please have that vacation I had planned awhile back?"  
  
"Hm, I don't know. A lot of people have taken your place, now. I don't see any possible way you can take off."  
  
"I see," she said dejectedly. "In that case, then, I quit."  
  
"What's that?! You quit?!"  
  
"Yes, sir, you heard me loud and clear."  
  
"Why?!"  
  
"B-because. I...need some time to myself."  
  
"Higurashi, you're making a big mistake!"  
  
Kagome cringed whenever she heard him yell. She felt like saying she was just kidding to please him. 'No, Kagome. Quit acting like a baby and quit the people-pleaser act!' She stood straight even though her voice gave away her nervousness. "I'm sure you'll find a new person to push your pencils. I'm through."  
  
"Higurashi, come back here! Higurashiiiii!" Her boss whined as he banged his head against his desk in defeat.  
  
~^~  
  
She walked silently down the sidewalk in the midst of a few cherry blossoms planted on each side of the street. 'Good job, Kagome. You lost your only source of income.' She sighed. 'But, at least you've managed to show your boss who's...the boss.'  
  
She arrived at her apartment and packed up her things to get ready to move out. Since there was no more money coming in, she decided that it was best if she stayed with her mom. But she was distressed with that idea because of the memories of the past lingering beside her house. She quickly informed her mother that she would be staying with her from now on. An hour later, she gathered her two suitcases and headed back to familiar ground.  
  
~^~  
  
Two months later, she was still the same as when she quit her job. She was a little happier, but it only served to mask the heartache inside. It's not like a person can get rid of deep feelings for only two months. Another thing that bothered her: he never came back for her.  
  
'Why am I still constantly surprising myself with these thoughts? It's not like I mattered to him. I don't see any reason why I should be taken back by these things.' She buried her head in her arms which were rested upon her knees. She lay back against the wall on her soft bed and sighed loudly.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi walked in and hated the way her daughter acted these past few months. "Kagome!" she said smiling. "How are you today?"  
  
Kagome raised her head up. "Just fine, mom."  
  
"Oh, Kagome, doesn't this room make you feel young again? This room holds so much memories-Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
Kagome started to silently cry in her arms once more. Her mom sat beside her and cradled her daughter in her arms. "Kagome...shh. It will be alright."  
  
'I wish you knew what was going on inside of me,' Kagome thought. She hadn't told her mom what had passed before her eyes and the heartbreak she received from witnessing it.  
  
"Kagome, you will always be my little girl. If you ever need someone, you can just call Mommy. It'll be alright."  
  
"Thank you...for everything." Kagome smiled a sincere smile and made her decision. "Mom, I'm going to go away for a little while. I need to clear my head and I think this will be the best...f-for the two of us."  
  
"Whatever will make you happy, I will support it with all of my power. I'll do anything for a smile on my little girl's face." Mrs. Higurashi hugged her daughter tightly before leaving. "Do you want me to help you pack anything?"  
  
"Yes, maybe some food for my journey would be nice. Thanks, again."  
  
"Oh, how cute! Alright then, I'll go prepare some food for my baby girl's little excursion." Her smile widened as she teased her daughter.  
  
"MoOoom!" Kagome whined.  
  
"I'm going, I'm going!"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi finally left her daughter all alone in her room. 'Little girl...will I continue to act like one?" she wondered. She got up and ran her eyes over the many stuffed animals in her pink room. 'I guess I'll always be one.' She sadly smiled.  
  
Quietly, she packed up her things to get ready for her trip.  
  
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A/N: WOW! No action in this one. And you're wondering why I put action/adventure on there...? Ah, I don't blame you. It will come, I promise. There will be some butt-kicking from our own little heroine, Kagome Higurashi, Demon butt-kicker extraordinaire! ^_^  
  
But look on the bright side: IT EXPLAINS THINGS! Yes, explaining is a good thing...even though it IS a little boring.  
  
Once again, the grammar is off. (Whoo~ no big surprise...) As a writer, I suck.  
  
MAN! THAT KIKYOU IS A REAL PAIN IN THE...GLUTIUS MAXIMUS!! ^^;;  
  
Ahahaha...::laughs nervously:: and you're probably wondering, "Where the heck are all the Sesshoumaru/Kagome parts???" Ah, please, please, calm down. I assure you, there shall be S/K parts! I know this seems like all of those other Sesshoumaru/Kagome fics (Kagome is betrayed by Inu, and then Sesshoumaru and Kagome fall in love), but please bear with me. I hope to turn this into something meaningful...::sweatdrops:: HAH! Yeah, right. I probably butchered that hope. @_@;; Well, that's all for now.  
  
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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. ~Albert Einstein  
  
-----------  
  
*AHAHAHHAHAA! I still get a kick out of that. So true, so true.*  
  
Kodoku Kokoro 


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